The Proposal
by Rosewood girl 317
Summary: Ezra has an important question to ask Aria after her college graduation. How will he do it, and how will Aria react? One-Shot!


Aria's POV

Today marks a major mile-stone in my life. After four long years of studying and hard work, I got an English degree from Columbia. In the Fall I'm going to teach a freshman English class at the University, while I start working on my first novel. It's surreal that I get to pursue a profession that I'm passionate about, and I can't wait for this new chapter in my life to begin.

The graduation ceremony just ended, and I'm looking through the thick crowd for my friends. A smile forms on my face when I see my boyfriend of six years, Ezra Fitz, standing in front of me with roses in his arms.

"Congratulations baby girl, I'm so proud of you." Ezra mutters before pulling me in for a long hug.

After I graduated from high school, Ezra got a job teaching at New York University. I'm so happy that Ezra was near me during this time in my life, and I don't know how I would have gotten through the last few years without him.

"I love you so much." I tell Ezra truthfully.

"I love you too sweetheart, more than you'll ever know." Ezra says before pressing his lips against mine.

My heart melts as I stare into Ezra's baby blue eyes. I'm so lucky to have a man like him in my life.

"Caroline and Hardy invited a bunch of people to their apartment to celebrate your graduation, but I was hoping I could take you somewhere first." Ezra tells me.

I became great friends with Hardy and his girlfriend Caroline during college. Being away from Rosewood meant that I could go out with Ezra in public, and associate with his closet friends. Surprisingly, his friends welcomed me into their group with open arms, and age is never an issue when I'm around them.

"I'd love to go out with you Ezra, but I don't want to hurt Caroline and Hardy's feelings. They probably put a lot of effort into my party..." I start to say.

"Aria, they throw parties every weekend. No one will care if we arrive fashionably late." Ezra says with a chuckle.

"In that case, let's enjoy a few hours together." I say before giving Ezra a soft peck on the lips.

He smiles before grabbing my hand and leading me to his car. I climb into the passenger's seat, and turn on the radio. Ezra and I both smile when "Happiness" by The Fray plays through the speakers.

"What did you think of the ceremony?" Ezra asks as he reaches for my hand.

"It was nice." I say before giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Are you upset that they couldn't be here?" Ezra asks me softly.

Tears begin to form in my eyes as I think about my family. Halfway through my freshman year of college, Mike had a big lacrosse tournament in California. My parents drove him across the country because they couldn't afford to pay for three plane tickets. On the way home, a drunk driver collided with their car, killing all three of them on the spot.

For a few months after the accident I wanted to die, and I refused to leave my apartment. The only reason I made it through was because Ezra came by everyday to check on me. He cooked me dinner almost every night, and he even did all my cleaning. I don't know what I'd do without Ezra, because sometimes I feel like he's the only one I have left.

"I'm fine." I assure Ezra.

"Aria if you want to talk..." Ezra starts to say.

"I don't." I snap rudely.

Ezra stares at me with a hurt expression on his face. I didn't mean to come off as mean, but talking about my family really upsets me. Today is about me, and the last thing I want to do is grieve.

"I know how hard this is for you, but do you remember what your therapist said about keeping your feelings bottled up?" Ezra asks me gently.

I nod, and give him a small sigh before spilling my guts.

"I feel like crap okay! I kept wishing they were siting next to you during the ceremony, and every time I smiled or got excited, I started to feel guilty." I say as tears begin to stream down my face.

"Honey, you're allowed to feel happy. Today was a big day for you, and you can't grieve for the rest of your life. Your family might not have physically been there, but I promise they were there in spirit." Ezra says with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh Ezra..." I start to say before I burst into tears.

"Hey, don't cry love. I'm sure your father was watching the ceremony from his cloud in heaven, and drinking a bottle of scotch with you mom's home cooked lasagna." Ezra says in a humorous tone.

Ezra's words cause me to smile, and soon we're both laughing hysterically. He always knows exactly what to say when I'm upset.

"Thanks for coming today Ezra. I wouldn't have gotten through the day if it hadn't been for you." I tell him truthfully.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Ezra tells me seriously.

I smile and rest my head on Ezra's strong chest. I love the feeling of being close to him, even when we're driving.

"So Mrs. Aria, how does it feel to be a college graduate?" Ezra asks me curiously.

"It feels unreal." I say after thinking about it for a minute.

"Trust me, I know the feeling. I can't believe you're starting your first teaching job in the Fall." Ezra says as he shakes his head slowly.

"Do you think I'll be a good teacher?" I blurt out nervously.

Ezra stares into my hazel eyes and gives me a small nod.

"You'll be an amazing teacher! You're already an amazing writer, girlfriend, and person." Ezra says before giving me a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks babe, you're pretty amazing too." I say with a chuckle.

Ezra smiles before parking right outside of Central Park. To my surprise, he gets out of the car and waits for me to follow.

"Why did you stop here?" I ask him with confusion in my voice.

"Is this a problem?" Ezra asks as his face falls.

"No, I just thought that you were taking me out to dinner or something." I say as I slide out of the passenger's seat.

"I thought about it, but I decided that a walk around Central Park would be much more romantic." Ezra says with one of his charming boyish smiles.

This is why I love Ezra Fitz, he always keeps me entertained and on my toes. No to mention, he is quite the romantic.

"A walk around Central Park sounds lovely." I say before I start to walk towards him.

Unfortunately, I lose my balance and stumble over the six inch heels I picked out for graduation. Ezra begins to laugh, while I glare at him angrily. I'm a clutz, and I'm terrible at walking in high heels. Every time Ezra and I go somewhere that requires me to wear heels, I have to grasp his forearm for my dear life. He always keeps me from falling on my face, and I love him for that.

"Don't worry darling, I brought you a pair of tennis shoes." Ezra says as he hands me my blue running shoes.

I put the shoes on, and think about how ridiculous I must look with a pair of running shoes and a fancy graduation dress.

"Ezra, I don't want to go out looking like this." I say as I motion towards my attire.

"Why? You look beautiful!" Ezra exclaims.

I roll my eyes in annoyance. I can never ask Ezra if I look okay, because he'll always say I look beautiful. Even when I roll out of bed with sex hair, smudged make-up, and morning breath, he compliments me on my appearance.

"I mean it Aria, you're absolutely perfect." Ezra says as his voice softens.

"So are you." I say before grabbing his hand.

We walk through the park in silence as we take in every element of the beautiful evening. We're right in front of the lake that overlooks the city when Ezra stops abruptly.

"Honey, is everything all right?" I ask my boyfriend with a concerned expression on my face.

"I um, have a graduation present for you." Ezra says before reaching into his bag and pulling out a decorated box.

"Ezra, you didn't have to get me anything!" I exclaim.

"Yes I did." Ezra says as he hands me the box.

It isn't until I take the box from Ezra that I realize his hands are shaking vigorously. Why is he so nervous to give me a graduation present?

"Well, open it." Ezra says in a shaky voice.

I nod before tearing open the wrapping paper. Inside the box is a homemade book titled, "Our Love Story."

I open the first page of the book and see a picture of me and Ezra standing outside of Snookers on the day we met. Below the picture is a caption that reads, "Day I met my soul-mate" and the date of our anniversary.

I turn to the second page of the book and see a picture of Rosewood High. The caption says, "Day my world turned upside down."

The third page has the first picture Ezra and I took as a couple. I smile when I remember putting the paper bags over our heads, and snapping a few shots. The caption says, "Day we became official."

The fourth page has a cartoon of a dark-haired man getting punched in the face. The caption, "Day we came out to your family and day I got punched in the face by Mike" makes me laugh.

The fifth page has a picture of a giant exclamation point, several red hearts, and the words "No caption needed" underneath it.

The sixth page has a picture of me and Ezra at my high school graduation and the caption, "Day we left Rosewood."

The seventh page has a picture of me and Ezra laying on a beach in California. Under the picture are the words, "Our first vacation."

The eight picture makes my stomach drop. It's a picture of me at my family's funeral. Below the picture Ezra wrote, "I'll always be here for you."

I wipe away a few tears before flipping to the ninth page of the book. It's a picture of Columbia and a caption that reads, "Day you graduated."

I flip to the tenth and last page of the book, and my eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see what's on the page. It's a picture of a giant question mark, and the words "Marry me Aria."

I look up at Ezra, and realize he's holding a jewelry box. Usually women can tell when their boyfriend is going to propose to them, but I had no idea Ezra was planning this. Ezra and I have talked about marriage, but we agreed to wait a few years so I could focus on my career. What made him change his mind?

Ezra gets down on one knee before letting out a breathy sigh, and beginning his proposal.

"Aria Rose Montgomery, I love you more than anything in the entire world. I used to think that relationships like ours only existed in books, but everyday you prove me wrong. We've been through our ups and downs, but nothing that has happened in the past, or anything that might happen in the future, could ever change the way I feel about you. Like I wrote in page eight, "I'll always be here for you." I know we agreed to wait a few years before getting married, but we know first hand that life is short. I don't want to spend another minute not being your husband, because we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life loving you, and doing everything I can to make you smile. Would you do me the great honor of marrying me?" Ezra asks as he stares into my hazel eyes.

I'm at a complete loss for words. All I can do is wrap my arms around Ezra, and sob into his chest.

"Is that a yes?" Ezra asks me nervously.

"Of course it's a yes!" I say through my heavy sobs.

Ezra responds by sliding the ring onto my finger, and twirling me around. Both of us are crying tears of joy, and taking in the life changing moment.

"I can't believe we're really getting married!" Ezra exclaims.

"Believe it Mr. Fitz, because I want an unforgettable wedding." I say through my tears.

Ezra chuckles before pressing his lips against mine and kissing me passionately.

"That book should be a best seller." I say as I break the kiss.

"I agree, why don't you turn it into one?" Ezra asks me softly.

"Maybe I will." I say after thinking about it for a minute.

"First we have to finish living several more chapters." Ezra says before winking at me.

"Such as?" I ask as I raise an eye brow.

"Having that beautiful wedding and popping out three beautiful children." Ezra says with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan." I say with an eager nod.

"You're mine Aria, for forever and all eternity." Ezra says as he hold me close to him.

"And you're mine." I say before pressing my lips against his for the millionth time in my life.

**What did you think of this one-shot? My friend's cousin got proposed to with a book similar to the one Ezra made for Aria, and I think it's an adorable gesture! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed :) **


End file.
